Secretary, or any Gentleman of the Committee.
No. 194, Strand, By Order,
Nov, 8, 1796. Edw. Hughes, Sec.
Newspapers containing news of special military interest are worth obtaining. The issues of The Times which tell of the successes of Trafalgar and Waterloo are notoriously valuable, but the reprinted copies must not be mistaken for the original leaflets. There is, of course, no need to confine one's collection to copies of The Times. In this matter, the news contained by the journal is more to be considered than the dignity of the journal itself.
Royal Souvenirs.—In the time of Waterloo the soldier in the ranks received few of the little considerations which we now feel are the hero's just reward. Tommy was paid for his work and there the matter ended. To-day, however, the position has changed. We, who stay at home, can hardly think enough of those who are fighting our battles: such is the spirit shown by every one from the King down to the humblest citizen living within the realm. With such a feeling abroad it is not to be wondered at that members of the Royal Family have, in recent times, made little presents to our fighting men, knowing full well how much the recipients will treasure them. Under this heading we may mention the Queen Victoria chocolate tin which the late Queen gave to soldiers in the Boer War, the chocolate or tobacco tin which Princess Mary presented, full of good things, to the soldiers during Christmas, 1914, and lastly the Christmas card which the King and Queen sent to the fighting men on land and sea at the same festive season. These and all such souvenirs are, of course, to be highly prized by the collector.
Official Military Documents.—Undoubtedly a good many documents of a military bearing are to be found if collectors only know where to search for them. The more important papers, such as plans of battlefields and commanders' messages, are naturally prized by those who own them, but there is a wide field for the collector among the documents of lesser importance. Within this class we should include all kinds of official correspondence, passports to enter fortified towns, passes to enable journalists to penetrate beyond certain lines, and proclamations, printed and otherwise. It will thus be seen that the scope of the collection is almost without limit.
A good many treasures coming under this head are to be found in the Whitehall museum, already spoken of. Two are worthy of special notice. The first is a pass issued to Lieutenant J. Whiteley, 9th Foot, when a French prisoner of war at Verdun, dated December 30, 1812. It runs as follows:—
"Place de Verdun.
Permission de Sortir de la Place.Il est permit à Mr. Whitley, Prisonnier de Guerre de sortir de la Place par les portes, Chaussée de Metz, à condition de rentrer chaque jour avant leur fermeture.
La présente permission est pour lui seul. Verdun, 30 Décembre, 1812.
Le Commandant du dépôt des Prisonniers
de Guerre Anglais."
(Signature illegible.)
The above is interesting in so much as it enables us to gather that those who were unfortunate enough to be taken prisoner by the French were treated as men of honour and with as few irksome restrictions as possible. The second treasure is a map of the theatre of war (the Waterloo Campaign, 1815) saturated with the blood of Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton, who was killed during the battle. The map was taken from the pocket of his coattee on the following morning by his servant, Henry Barnes.